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Film & TV · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Documentary Making

This course explores the power of non-fiction storytelling, blending journalism with cinematic art. Students will learn to capture “truth” through various documentary modes—from observational and expository to participatory. The curriculum emphasizes the ethics of representation, interview techniques, and the unique editing workflow required to craft a narrative from unscripted footage.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Identify and apply different documentary modes (Observational, Poetic, Expository)
  2. Conduct professional interviews with proper lighting and empathetic questioning
  3. Master "Run and Gun" shooting techniques for unpredictable environments
  4. Navigate the ethical complexities of representing real subjects
  5. Edit unscripted footage using the "Paper Edit" and narrative arc structures
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01History of Documentary: Flaherty to Netflix
  2. 02Modes of Documentary (Nichols' 6 Modes)
  3. 03Research, Pre-production & Access
  4. 04The Art of the Interview: Lighting
  5. 05The Art of the Interview: Questioning Techniques
  6. 06Ethics & Consent in Non-Fiction
  7. 07Storytelling without a Script
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Cinema Verité & Observational Shooting
  10. 10Audio in the Field: Lavs & Booms
  11. 11B-Roll Strategies: Visualizing the Spoken
  12. 12Archival Footage & Fair Use Law
  13. 13Post-Production I: The Paper Edit
  14. 14Post-Production II: Narrative Structure
  15. 15Funding, Grants & Film Festivals
  16. 16Final Project: Short Documentary Film

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: Short Documentary Film

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Directing the Documentary by Michael Rabiger
  2. In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch
  3. Documentary Storytelling by Sheila Curran Bernard
  4. The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide by Anthony Q. Artis
  5. Introduction to Documentary by Bill Nichols
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